I've got an 04 MDX. I notice that if you turn the steering wheel when the vehicle is at stand-still, it feels like the steering is sticky - the wheel jumps back and forth a little in your hand while you're turning it. If you rev the engine, the vibration subsides and it feels fine turning the wheel while the vehicle is moving. I asked the dealership about it and got the old "it's a normal characteristic of the vehicle" line. They said they've replaced racks and power steering pumps on othe MDXs and it hasn't solved the problem. Anybody here have similar issues?

 

Sounds like a hydraulic issue. You could check the belt tension & tensioner, as well as the drivebelt. Make sure your P/S fluid reservoir is at the correct level and that the pump isn't leaking.. I've never noticed the steering being that reactive while in idle.

 

would a bad mount cause it to move around like that?

 

it could be the rear mount if the steering wheel vibrates during idle regardless if your trying to turn the wheels or not.

 

My 03 did exactly what you described for a while, then it stopped suddenly.

 

This will fix your problem for under $10

http://www.mdxers.org/forums/showthr...hlight=fanelle

 

Nice find Fanelle.. but you're not allowed to post links to other forums.. I'm sure your post will be deleted so a heads up to the remedy is not a vac leak but ps fluid related. The fix is putting in new ps fluid. I think the turkey baster method for ps fluid is not a real solution as letting the fluid circulate out and then refilling the res, which is the proper method.